Ethnic Groups of Africa Religions Customs and Traditions

Ethnic Groups of Africa

Religions, Customs, and Traditions • Africa is made up of 54 different countries and many ethnic groups. • A group’s customs and traditions often come from religion, from where the group lives, or from the demands of daily life. • Most Africans today are either Muslim or Christian, but traditional religions and customs still play a role in African culture.

Arabs • The term Arab refers to a mixed ethnic group made up of people who speak the Arabic language. • Arabs mostly live in North Africa and the Middle East. • Some Jews, Kurds, Berbers, Copts, and Druze speak Arabic, but are not usually considered Arab. • The term “Arab” includes Arabic-speaking Christians in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. Overall, Arabs are divided into two groups— nomadic Bedouins and settled Arabs.

Ashanti • The Ashanti people live in central Ghana. • The family, especially the mother’s family, is most important to the Ashanti. • They believe that children inherit their spirits from their father and their flesh and blood from their mother. • The mystical Golden Stool has been the center of Ashanti spiritual practice since the late 17 th century.

Ashanti • It is said to have arrived on Earth by floating down from the heavens. • The Ashanti people believe the strength of their nation depends on the safety of this stool. • It represents the unity of the Ashanti and the power of their chiefs. • The Ashanti honor kings after death, in a ceremony in which a stool is blackened.

The Swahili People • The Swahili people live on the East African coast from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique. • The Swahili people practice a strict form of Islam. In addition to Islamic beliefs, the Swahili believe in spirits, or djinns. • Swahili Muslims use trances to speak to djinns. • Men wear amulets around their necks that contain verses from the Koran, which they believe will protect them. • Only teachers of Islam and prophets are permitted to become spiritual healers.

Bantu • The Bantu originally came from southeastern Nigeria, near the Benue-Cross Rivers that spread east and south near Zambia, in Central Africa. • Around 1000 CE, the Bantu reached present-day Zimbabwe and South Africa. • Here, the Bantu established the Munhumutapa Empire. • This new empire controlled trading routes from South Africa to the area north of the Zambezi River.

Bantu • The Bantu traded many natural resources: gold, copper, precious stones, animal hides, ivory, and metal goods. • They traded with Arab traders from the Swahili coast, as well as others. • The empire collapsed in the early 16 th century, after it used up all its resources.

African Literacy • The literacy rate in Africa is 50%. • This means that half the population of Africa cannot read or write. • Literacy is good for individuals as well as their communities. • More developed countries tend to have a higher literacy rate. • Sudan and Egypt both have a literacy rate of only 51 %. • South Africa, the most developed country in Africa, has a literacy rate of 83%.

Art and Music from Africa • The dance and music of Africa has many distinct styles and uses unique instruments. • Sub-Saharan African music and dance is different from the music and dance of the Arab cultures of North Africa, or the Western settler populations of southern Africa. • Many of the Sub-Saharan traditions are maintained by oral tradition.

Summary • Describe the diverse cultures of the people of Africa and how literacy rate affects standard of living.